Kallikratis
Encyclopedia
Kallikratis is a small village in oo ku taalo luuq ganaane southwest Crete
, Greece
. According to tradition, it was named after the admiral (droungarios) Manoussos Kallikratis, who in March 1453 led a campaign to reinforce the defense of Constantinople
with 5 ships and 1500 Cretan volunteers. As reported by Sphrantzes
in his Chronicle, these volunteers manned three towers on the walls of Constantinople
and continued to fight bravely even after the city had fallen
. In recognition of their gallantry, sultan Mehmed
allowed them to safely sail back to Crete, retaining their weapons.
in Lefka Ori
with an average altitude of 540m. It can be reached via Myriokefala, Asi Gonia
or Asfendos, or via a recently paved road with more than 25 tight hair-pin turns
, which starts in Kapsodasos and offers stunning views of the Frangokastello
plain and the Libyan Sea
in the distance. Kallikratis is also on the E4 walking route
. Kallikratiano (i.e. Kallikratis') gorge starts southwest of the village and ends in the village of Patsianos, maintaining important natural habitats. The gorge can be crossed on a 4 km path. Kallikratis is uninhabited during the colder months of the year, since during that time the local shepherds move with their herds in transhumance
to the warmer climate of the villages near the shore.
' revolt against the Ottoman Empire
. In 1867, during the great Cretan revolution
, Ottoman forces under the command of Omar Pasha
unsuccessfully attempted to invade Sfakia from Kallikratis. At the beginning of the twentieth century, several villagers voluntarily took part in the struggle for Macedonia between 1904-1908 . During the first months of the Axis occupation of Crete, the resistance organization AEAK
was headquartered at the house of Colonel Andreas Papadakis in Vourvoures, a location between Kallikratis and Asi Gonia
. Later on, the resistance
operated a radio station hidden in the Anemospilios cave which is located near the Lampronas plain between Kallikratis and Asfendos. In his book The Cretan Runner
, George Psychoundakis
reports to have stayed in that cave during the spring of 1942 and to have been fed by Kallikratians.
In reprisal
for the local participation in the resistance, the Jagdkommando Schubert, which was a paramilitary force with links to the Wehrmacht
under the command of Sdf. Fritz Schubert
, surrounded Kallikratis on October 8, 1943. The inhabitants were dragged from their homes and herded to the church, threatened with death upon disobedience. Some men were shot outside their homes after refusing to comply with orders. Around 30 civilians were executed in total, most of them in the churchyard
under the eyes of their families. Women and children were held hostage and later expelled from the village, whose houses were looted
and then set ablaze. Nevertheless, several men who had slept outside the village as a precaution, managed to escape safely.
, one of the most celebrated Cretan music
artists, originated from Kallikratis. On Sep. 5th 2008, a Cretan music night dedicated to his
memory was held in Kallikratis.
During summer, a couple of coffee shops and tavernas serving local specialties are open in the area.
Crete
Crete is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, and one of the thirteen administrative regions of Greece. It forms a significant part of the economy and cultural heritage of Greece while retaining its own local cultural traits...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. According to tradition, it was named after the admiral (droungarios) Manoussos Kallikratis, who in March 1453 led a campaign to reinforce the defense of Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
with 5 ships and 1500 Cretan volunteers. As reported by Sphrantzes
George Sphrantzes
George Sphrantzes, also Phrantzes or Phrantza was a late Byzantine Greek historian. He was born in Constantinople. At an early age he became secretary to Manuel II Palaiologos; in 1432 protovestiarites; in 1446 prefect of Mistras, and subsequently great logothete...
in his Chronicle, these volunteers manned three towers on the walls of Constantinople
Walls of Constantinople
The Walls of Constantinople are a series of defensive stone walls that have surrounded and protected the city of Constantinople since its founding as the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire by Constantine the Great...
and continued to fight bravely even after the city had fallen
Fall of Constantinople
The Fall of Constantinople was the capture of the capital of the Byzantine Empire, which occurred after a siege by the Ottoman Empire, under the command of Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II, against the defending army commanded by Byzantine Emperor Constantine XI...
. In recognition of their gallantry, sultan Mehmed
Mehmed II
Mehmed II , was Sultan of the Ottoman Empire for a short time from 1444 to September 1446, and later from...
allowed them to safely sail back to Crete, retaining their weapons.
Geography
Kallikratis is situated off the beaten tourist path and is made up of four widely separated neighborhoods that are scattered on a small plateauPlateau
In geology and earth science, a plateau , also called a high plain or tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat terrain. A highly eroded plateau is called a dissected plateau...
in Lefka Ori
Lefka Ori
Lefka Ori or Madares is a mountain range located in Western Crete, in the Chania prefecture. The White Mountains or Lefka Ori occupy a good part of the centre of West Crete and are the main feature of the region...
with an average altitude of 540m. It can be reached via Myriokefala, Asi Gonia
Asi Gonia
Asi Gonia , is a former community in the eastern part of the Chania peripheral unit, Crete, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Apokoronas, of which it is a municipal unit. The community is situated northeast of the Lefka Ori mountain range...
or Asfendos, or via a recently paved road with more than 25 tight hair-pin turns
Hairpin turn
A hairpin turn , named for its resemblance to a hairpin/bobby pin, is a bend in a road with a very acute inner angle, making it necessary for an oncoming vehicle to turn almost 180° to continue on the road. Such turns in ramps and trails may be called switchbacks in American English, by analogy...
, which starts in Kapsodasos and offers stunning views of the Frangokastello
Frangokastello
Frangokastello is the location of a castle and scattered settlement on the south coast of Crete, Greece, about 12 km. east of Chora Sfakion and within the prefecture of Chania....
plain and the Libyan Sea
Libyan Sea
The Libyan Sea is the portion of the Mediterranean Sea, north of the African coast of ancient Libya, i.e. Cyrenaica and Marmarica...
in the distance. Kallikratis is also on the E4 walking route
European walking route E4
The E4 European long distance path or E4 path is one of the European long-distance paths starting in Spain at its westernmost point and leading through France, Switzerland, Germany, Austria, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria to end in Greece...
. Kallikratiano (i.e. Kallikratis') gorge starts southwest of the village and ends in the village of Patsianos, maintaining important natural habitats. The gorge can be crossed on a 4 km path. Kallikratis is uninhabited during the colder months of the year, since during that time the local shepherds move with their herds in transhumance
Transhumance
Transhumance is the seasonal movement of people with their livestock between fixed summer and winter pastures. In montane regions it implies movement between higher pastures in summer and to lower valleys in winter. Herders have a permanent home, typically in valleys. Only the herds travel, with...
to the warmer climate of the villages near the shore.
History
Kallikratis never lived under permanent foreign rule and its residents have a long tradition of participation in fights for freedom. In 1770, the village was destroyed during DaskalogiannisDaskalogiannis
Ioannis Vlachos , better known as Daskalogiannis was a wealthy shipbuilder and shipowner who led a Cretan revolt against Ottoman rule in the 18th century.-Life and career:...
' revolt against the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
. In 1867, during the great Cretan revolution
Cretan Revolt (1866–1869)
The Cretan Revolt of 1866–1869 or Great Cretan Revolution was a three year uprising against Ottoman rule, the third and largest in a series of Cretan revolts between the end of the Greek War of Independence in 1830 and the establishment of the independent Cretan State in 1898.-Background:The...
, Ottoman forces under the command of Omar Pasha
Omar Pasha
Omar Pasha Latas was a Ottoman general and governor. He was a Serb convert to Islam, who managed to quickly climb in Ottoman ranks, crush several rebellions throughout the Empire and defeat Russia the Crimean War.-Early life:...
unsuccessfully attempted to invade Sfakia from Kallikratis. At the beginning of the twentieth century, several villagers voluntarily took part in the struggle for Macedonia between 1904-1908 . During the first months of the Axis occupation of Crete, the resistance organization AEAK
National Organization of Crete
The National Organization of Crete was an organization established in Crete by British Intelligence during the Axis occupation of Greecein World War II. EOK, predominantly Venizelist in sympathy and with members ranging from centre-left to right-wing, was meant to act as a counterweight to the...
was headquartered at the house of Colonel Andreas Papadakis in Vourvoures, a location between Kallikratis and Asi Gonia
Asi Gonia
Asi Gonia , is a former community in the eastern part of the Chania peripheral unit, Crete, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Apokoronas, of which it is a municipal unit. The community is situated northeast of the Lefka Ori mountain range...
. Later on, the resistance
Cretan resistance
The Cretan resistance was a resistance movement against Nazi Germany by the residents of the Greek island of Crete during World War II. Part of the larger Greek Resistance, it lasted from May 20, 1941, when the German Wehrmacht invaded the island in the Battle of Crete, until the fall of 1945 when...
operated a radio station hidden in the Anemospilios cave which is located near the Lampronas plain between Kallikratis and Asfendos. In his book The Cretan Runner
The Cretan Runner
The Cretan Runner: His Story of the German Occupation is a book written by George Psychoundakis...
, George Psychoundakis
George Psychoundakis
George Psychoundakis was a Greek Resistance fighter on Crete during the Second World War. He was a shepherd, a war hero and an author. He served as dispatch runner between Petro Petrakas and Papadakis behind the German lines for the Cretan resistance Movement and later, from 1941 to 1945, for the...
reports to have stayed in that cave during the spring of 1942 and to have been fed by Kallikratians.
In reprisal
Reprisal
In international law, a reprisal is a limited and deliberate violation of international law to punish another sovereign state that has already broken them. Reprisals in the laws of war are extremely limited, as they commonly breached the rights of civilians, an action outlawed by the Geneva...
for the local participation in the resistance, the Jagdkommando Schubert, which was a paramilitary force with links to the Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
under the command of Sdf. Fritz Schubert
Friedrich Schubert
Friedrich Schubert was a Greek-speaking German sergeant of the Wehrmacht As head of the Jagdkommando Schubert, a paramilitary force terrorizing the civilian population during the Nazi occupation of Greece in World War II, he committed numerous atrocities in Crete and Macedonia.Tried by a special...
, surrounded Kallikratis on October 8, 1943. The inhabitants were dragged from their homes and herded to the church, threatened with death upon disobedience. Some men were shot outside their homes after refusing to comply with orders. Around 30 civilians were executed in total, most of them in the churchyard
Churchyard
A churchyard is a patch of land adjoining or surrounding a church which is usually owned by the relevant church or local parish itself. In the Scots language or Northern English language this can also be known as a kirkyard or kirkyaird....
under the eyes of their families. Women and children were held hostage and later expelled from the village, whose houses were looted
Looting
Looting —also referred to as sacking, plundering, despoiling, despoliation, and pillaging—is the indiscriminate taking of goods by force as part of a military or political victory, or during a catastrophe, such as during war, natural disaster, or rioting...
and then set ablaze. Nevertheless, several men who had slept outside the village as a precaution, managed to escape safely.
Miscellaneous
The family of Kostas MountakisKostas Mountakis
Kostas Mountakis was a Greek musician who popularized the traditional music of the island of Crete, primarily with the lyra, the bowed string instrument of Crete and most popular surviving form of the medieval Byzantine lyra. His parents came from the village Kallikratis in Sfakia, Crete...
, one of the most celebrated Cretan music
Music of Crete
The music of Crete is a traditional form of Greek folk music called κρητικά . The lyra is the dominant folk instrument on the island; there are three-stringed and four-stringed versions of this bowed string instrument, closely related to the medieval Byzantine lyra. It is often accompanied by the...
artists, originated from Kallikratis. On Sep. 5th 2008, a Cretan music night dedicated to his
memory was held in Kallikratis.
During summer, a couple of coffee shops and tavernas serving local specialties are open in the area.